COLLEGE BASEBALL ROUNDUP: IT'LL BE INTERESTING FOR WAVES PEPPERDINE BEATS USC, STILL HAS CHANCE AT BERTH INTO NCAAS.

Byline: Chris Cocoles Staff Writer

On the last day of April, Pepperdine prepared itself for a mayhem-filled May.

The Waves were convincing in beating a hot, 20th-ranked USC club 7-1 at Dedeaux Field Tuesday night. But what Pepperdine does over the next month determines if its season is a success.

Pepperdine's (23-24) only avenue to the NCAA Regionals is winning the West Coast Conference championship series on May 24-26. The road grew increasingly bumpy when the Waves were swept at Portland last weekend.

Still one game ahead of second-place Gonzaga in the Coast Division, Pepperdine plays three games at Santa Clara this weekend and a makeup game at St. Mary's on Monday. Both teams are 1 1/2 games out of first.

Two of three previous games between the Waves and Gaels in Moraga were postponed. When the Gaels play in Malibu from May 10-12, a Saturday doubleheader will make up the other rainout. The following weekend, Pepperdine plays at Gonzaga to finish a stretch of 13 games in 17 games.

``We battled up at Portland and things just didn't turn out how we wanted it,'' said Waves center fielder Ed Montague, whose two hits included a single during a five-run first inning. ``Beating USC like this really can turn things around for us, especially when we're facing three teams in our (division). So it's going to be a big couple weeks.''

James Carroll, one of three Alabama transfers on the Waves' roster, was an unlikely candidate to tranquilize the Trojans' juiced-up offense, which had scored in double figures a school-record eight consecutive games while hitting .405 with 102 runs scored and 16 homers.

Carroll (1-2) threw 14 2/3 innings in 10 relief appearances before making his first start. But he was far more effective than his 10.43 earned-run average, allowing one earned run on five hits over a season-high five innings against USC (28-18).

--UCLA 18, UC Santa Barbara 13: Josh Arhart was 4 for 5 with two home runs and three RBI and teammate Rashad Parker was 4 for 6 with a home run and three RBI for the visiting Bruins (20-25) in the nonconference game at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium.

--Long Beach State 19, Loyola Marymount 9: Kris Zacuto was 4 for 5 with two runs scored and two RBI for host LMU in the nonconference loss at Page Stadium.

--Notes: Junior Brian Bannister, the Trojans' most effective reliever last season who underwent offseason shoulder surgery, has decided to take a redshirt year rather than pitch in the final month, which he is healthy enough to do now. Sophomore pitcher Fraser Dizard (elbow) will also redshirt.